Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-07-14
MINERAL LANDS.
CONTEST BEFORE JUDGE SAW
YER IN U. S. CIRCUIT COURT.
The Testimony for the Prosecution
All In-Interesting Evidence on
Behalf of the Contestants.
ESPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE RrcoRD-us1os.l

VS.. Iowle Bros, T.. L. K. X. ct al. was re-
sumed at 10 A. NJ. to-day before Special Ex-
aminer A. L. Coombs in United States Cir
cult Court, Judge Sawyer.
The first witness called was Richard
Neville, a rancher, Ga years of age, who
lives at French Corral, in Nevada county.
Said he was acquainted with all the mines
in the vicinity of Lowell Hill. For the
past ten years he had owned two-thirds OF
what is called the Lowell Hill mining prop
erty. He was owner IN the mine at the
time application was made for patent.
He had taken all the necessary legal steps
to acquire such patent, and in order to
quiet title stood three lawsuits. Said he
was induced to purchase Lowell Hill from
the excellent showing OF the Golden Bull
and adjoining mines lying to the south
ward. Lowell Hill is what they call in
mining parlance a drift mine. Did not
succeed in acquiring patent. They told
me at the Land Office that patent had al
ready been issued to the railroad company.
This was long after made my surveys and
filed my application. On section there
are some spots susceptible of cultivation,
but no legal subdivision can be said TO be
agricultural land.
On cross-examination, witness said that
the way he became possessed of two-thirds
| of the Lowell Hill mine was this: NJ Ske-
han, its owner owed him 5000, and he took
the mine in payment. He was to give
Skehan more II he ever took anything out
of it, but as he had not done so, Skehan
had never received anything more than a
receipt for his Indebtedness He admitted
to question by Senator Sargent that the
soil and climate of this section was specially
well adapted to apple culture, which in
this locality was a profitable crop. The
| winter frosts give vigor to the tree and fla
vor to the fruit. He also stated that Sec
ton was heavily timbered originally with
valuable forests of sugar pine, yellow pine,
| fir, spruce, cedar, and oak, all of majestic
| growth. Referring again to the purchase
| of the Lowell Hill mine, he said Skehan
was indebted to me something over 5000.
took it for the debt, and in reality never
paid cent for it. l have never taken a
cent out of it, and cannot swear that ever
saw any gold that was taken out of it.
| None of the workings of the Lowell Hill
mine are on section Z.
| On redirect examination witness said he
had not worked the mine for several rea-
sons, chief among which were the suits
against the hydraulic miners by the valley
people, and the fact that the land had been
patented by the railroad company
On recross- examination the witness said
that neither the Towle Bros. nor the rail-
road company had ever stopped his work
ing the mine or cutting timber.
NJ. Skehan, the prosecuting witness, was
recalled, and gave history of his expert
ence of twenty-seven years as a drift
miner, twenty-five of which was in that
section, and two in Austin, Nevada. He
gave his opinion as a mining expert that
section contained gravel deposits of value
He then produced large number of deeds
that had been given in transferring mines
in this section, dating back for many years.
Senator Sargent object to them as irrele-
want, immaterial, and not relating to the
section in question. The dates on one of
the deeds had all been carefully erased, and
another substituted. Witness said he did
| not know by whom, at what time nor for
what purpose the same were made.
Senator Sargent then added to his obiec-
ton that of Justification.
Senator Sargent-Thls deed is signed BY
Patrick Skehan. Is he dead?
| Witness-He is now.
At this point General Carey said he had
two more witnesses who had been subpe-
naed, but were not present. He asked the
privilege of putting their evidence in when
they arrived. To this Senator Sargent
| liz hloO put III CNluclCC Tic patent
from the United States to the railroad COM
pany; and other documentary evidence
now en- route from the department at
| Washington, it was also agreed to admit
upon its arrival, subject to objections by
the respondents. With these explanations,
requests and stipulations, General Carey
announced that he was through.
THE OTHER SIDE.
The first witness for the respondents was
Charles L. Uren, County Surveyor of Ne
| vada county, civil engineer and United
States deputy mineral surveyor. He had
made geology a study in order to familiar
ize himself with the mines in his
and adjacent counties. He was 81 years
OF age, and had an experience of
six or seven years in the field
as civil engineer He exhibited
| a map of section Z, showing all the mining
claims in section I and their exterior ex-
tensions outside of that section. The geo
logical character of the northern portion
so far as visible is that of a se-pentine for
nation, which extends as far south as
Mcclure d Patterson's ditch. The north
hillside of Steep Hollow creek is a SER
pentine rock more or less exposed to view.
South of this formation, the country for
some distance is covered with a lava de-
post or cap, and again is this formation
| DtdI lut SCuiutIu IDe sec
ton. The southeast corner of the section
is bare slate point. North of this is
| found serpentine rock. He examined the
section closely while making his SURVEYS
i'll June last, to see if he could find any
thing that could be considered rim rock.
but found none. geographically the north
ern portion of the section is much broken.
The hills through which Steep Hollow
creek and its forks run are very steep, in
some places the. slopes being fully
450. Southerly from Steep Hollow
creek the ground becomes flat above Nc
CURE Il Patterson's ditch, and does not
again rise for quarter of mile, covering
a greater portion of the Lowell Hill and
Sacramento and Bear River. The highest
point lies south of this, which has an alti-
tude of l. 900 feet above Steep Hollow
creek, and is known as Negro jack
Mountain. North of Steep Hollow creek
the country is steep and rugged. South the
lava cap is loan soil consisting of decayed
vegetable matter, and is fertile land This
serpentine rock extends northward through
the section. Gold is never found in lava
flow. First visited section in 1874 or rs.
At that time it was well timbered, the
higher or more elevated portions being
heavily timbered. A large amount of ex-
cellent timber, sugar pine, fir. cedar and
oak, still remain on the north and south
sides of Steep Hollow creek. Wit
ness assisted in surveying the Golden
Bull tunnel in order to locate the air
shaft, which is Just inside of section II !;
all the workings of the mine, however, be-
ing on section II. The air-shaft has a
depth of $50 feet. There are to be found
at the mouth of the shaft no gold bearing
earth or other debris taken out while sink
ing that would indicate gravel deposit.
| Witness said be had assisted in surveys
made at different times in the Golden Bull
Planet, East New York and the Dewey
Tunnel. Had run some of the lines on the
| Lowell Hill mine. He had observed that
the course of the channel in all these mines
indicated that it comes from Democrat
Hill and the Wide West mine on section 6.
| thence goes southeast to the knight Bows
claim, then is cut off by Steep Hollow
creek from Lowell Hill, from which it ex-
| tends down through Golden Ball. Swamp
Angel, East New York and down into
Liberty Hill. All these points are west of
the west line of section Z. Witness ex-
| amined the character of the gravel west of
this section, and found that it contained
| quartz. That to the eastward contains no
| quartz. The inference from that is that
the channel was cut of by Steep Hollow
| creek and il all lies west of seven. The